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Sunday, December 14, 2008

Bergman Finishes Season Strong at Footlocker Cross Country Nationals

San Diego, CA – The top 40 prep
runners in the country converged on
Balboa Park for the Footlocker Cross
Country National Championships
Saturday, including Valley Christian's Jennifer Bergman. Bergman qualified for
the national championships the week
before by placing 6th in the Western
Regional at Mt. Sac, a race that features the top runners from 12 of the western most states.

While the competitors got situated
and tried not to be distracted by the
sandy beaches at the famous
Coronado Del Mar, the pressure of the national championship was in full swing Saturday
morning as the athletes prepared for the start of their race.
The race began compliments of the US Marines with cannon shot that could be heard for
miles.

The competitors seemed to shoot out of a canon themselves as they started the
race setting a blistering pace. Bergman found herself surrounded by a star studded field.

“Everyone took off sprinting at the start and it felt like I was running so hard.” Bergman
later said about the start of her race.

Catching a cold just days before didn’t help her chances as she found herself running in
the back of the pack over the first mile; she was in 39th place but just 8 seconds off of the
lead. The rolling hills over the next mile stretched out the field as she found herself
bunched together with a group of about 20 runners. Bergman made her move the last
mile as the pack climbed the last hill on the course and made a huge push to finish in 33rd
place.

“It wasn’t my best race, but the experience was good for me,” Bergman said in
reflection of her race.
“If I wasn’t sick I knew I could have done better” Bergman said. “It was a lot of fun and
I met a lot of amazing people. I look forward to racing them again in the future!”